National Instruments (NI) announced a series of 28 GHz radio heads for the mmWave Transceiver System. This combination creates the first commercially available full transceiver of its kind that can transmit and receive wide bandwidth signals up to 2 GHz bandwidth in real-time, in the spectrum from 27.5 to 29.5 GHz. The mmWave Transceiver System software-defined radio (SDR) and application software offer a complete and comprehensive starting point for 5G measurements and research addressing both the 3GPP and Verizon 5G specifications.
The mmWave Transceiver System can operate as either an access point or user device in any over-the-air testing scenario. Users can also develop mmWave communications prototyping systems or perform channel measurements — necessary for wireless researchers to understand the characteristics of a new spectrum — using the same system. The software works with the previously released radio heads for 71 to 76 GHz, so users can easily adapt their mmWave Transceiver System to 28 GHz by changing the RF radio heads.
The mmWave Transceiver System baseband software delivers a complete communications physical layer compatible with the proposed 3GPP and Verizon 5G specifications, as source code for LabVIEW system design software. This expedites development with a ready-to-run system that users can adapt to their specific areas of research or testing.
“The new 28 GHz mmWave Transceiver System has been a key technology for many participants in our RF/communications lead user program,” said James Kimery, director of RF research and SDR marketing at NI. “As the world allocates spectrum for 5G, 28 GHz has emerged as a leading candidate for several countries, including the U.S., South Korea and Japan.”
The new radio heads include the mmRH-3642, mmRH-3652 and mmRH-3602. Find more information on the mmWave Transceiver System and configurations at www.ni.com/sdr/mmwave.